The Addams Family
at Friends Select School

Reviewed on April 20, 2018

Harleigh Myerovich
Harriton High School
Submitted for publication to Philadelphia Inquirer - 1

When you're an Addams, "normal" isn't all it's cracked up to be. This weekend, Friends Select School Theater embraced the creepy, the kooky, the mysterious and spooky for an altogether ooky production of the Addams Family! Based on the characters in Charles Addams's New Yorker Cartoons, The Addams Family follows the loving, if unconventional, family of the undead. This musical focuses in on Wednesday Addams, who has fallen in love with average-Joe, Lucas. When this news reaches the rest of the family, their bonds are tested as they negotiate their family values, ultimately proving that love never dies.

In the role of Morticia Addams, Mary Graham delivered a poised performance which captured the aloof nature of the macabre matriarch. Her vocals in songs such as "Secrets" and "Just Around the Corner" carried each quirky musical number. Alongside her, Daniel Nelson portrayed Gomez Addams with heart and humor. In each of his scenes, Nelson commanded the stage and maintained Gomez's signature Spanish accent with impressive consistency. In the role of the beloved Uncle Fester, Avery Johnson proved a comedic favorite with his energetic antics. As the hapless Lucas, Wednesday Addams's paramour, Isaac Riley-Wasserman delivered a strong performance throughout. In "Crazier Than You", Both Riley-Wasserman and Claire McHarg (Wednesday Addams) showcased their endearing chemistry in an animated duet.

In a standout featured role, Matthew Mark-Ockerbloom made the audience roar with their portrayal of the Addams' zombie-like butler, Lurch. With a sonorous vocal performance, Ockerbloom surprised and delighted the audience with their scene-stealing solo in "Finale: Move Towards the Darkness". In the role of Grandma, Margo Latty garnered laughs from the audience with her over-the-top physical comedy.

Adding to the gothic look of the production, the costume design by Isabella Iannozzi was polished and effective. Makeup, also headed by Iannozzi along with Kate Young and Rachel Soloff, helped to characterize the undead Addams ancestors with their signature blackened eyes. The sets, designed by Kitty Holder, Rudyard Lynch, Cece Williams and Lucy Doss lent themselves well to the atmosphere of the show, with various painted backdrops, reversible platforms, and an endearing spider web motif. For publicity, an eye-catching silkscreen design by Jamison Lung was featured on the playbill and on posters around the theater. Lung's 1960's inspired artwork captured the macabre aesthetics of the production while also serving as a well-rendered nod to the cultural context of the original 1960's television series.

Overall, Friends Select School Theater brought the Addams characters to life in an offbeat end to their season that was anything but ordinary.

Anna Mondragon
AP Schalick High School
Submitted for publication to Philadelphia Inquirer - 2

A familiar but unorthodox tale of love and the trials and tribulations it faces graced the stage of Friends Select School in the form of "The Addams Family." With a passionate father devoted to the women in his life, a jealous brother, and a huge engagement secret, nothing could go wrong, right?

The show opened on Broadway in April of 2010 and closed in December of 2011 with a run of over a year. "The Addams Family" depicts a tale of a family with an affinity towards the darker things in life and the turbulence they experience when Wednesday Addams, the daughter, reveals that she is engaged to someone, but only to her father, Gomez. Gomez needs to keep this from his wife which tears him apart. This secret is revealed by the end of the first act and causes the down spiral of the family and the engagement. It is up to Gomez to fix his marriage, and the impending marriage of Wednesday and fiance Lucas.

The overall talent of the cast and the dramatic use of makeup really made the show stand out. The cast's ability to embody characters that are not easy to relate to showcased the talent of everyone involved.

Daniel Nelson as Gomez Addams really showed us talent not only with his accent but with his acting. It was easy to forget that Gomez was actually a high school senior and not a goofy and romantic father. Mary Graham as Morticia Addams embodied the confident mother figure with beautiful vocals, fluid movement, and complete understanding of the character. Claire McHarg as Wednesday Addams gave us wonderful vocals and a very nice portrayal of a girl on the cusp of changing her way of life.

Avery Johnson, who played Uncle Fester, was the goofy uncle bent on helping Wednesday keep her love. The expressive portrayal of the character and the amazing comedic timing made this character funny and lovable. Margo Latty as Grandma really put herself into the character and showed us the crazy side of the family. A real show stealer, though, was Matthew Mark-Ockerbloom as Lurch. The ability to keep a straight face throughout the entire goofy show was impressive and their vocals were truly amazing.

The make up by Isabella Iannozzi, Kate Young, and Rachel Soloff was something that really stood out. The dark under eyes and the pale ancestors really showed the personality of the family. The costumes done by Isabella Iannozzi were impressive as well and showed us different time periods of the ancestors.

"Full Disclosure," Friends Select School did a wonderful job in their rendition of "The Addams Family."

Alex Conway
The Agnes Irwin School
Submitted for publication to GPC Website Review 3

The Addams Family is a musical set in a spooky house in New York, where an odd, dark family reside. The daughter of the family falls in love with a "normal" boy and the story outlines the struggle of meeting the family and hoping everyone will get along. You'll drop dead while watching the cast fight for love, play an extremely intrusive game, and continue to make you laugh! Friend Select School's performance was quite comedic!

Gomez (Daniel Nelson) was a truly important aspect in the shows success. His impressive and overwhelming stage presence were evident and there was never a lack of energy. He took on the playful wit of the character and it was quite funny to watch his over-exaggerated motions. It was quite impressive that he was able to keep is well done Spanish accent throughout the entire show, especially while singing. His diction, tone, and voice were incredible and he definitely left an impact on the audience.

Morticia (Mary Graham) carried the show with her strong stage presence. She took on the role with a massive amount of sarcastic humor, perfectly illuminating her character's dead persona. She took the audience by storm with his insane talent and was definitely a crowd favorite. She truly embodied her role and it was especially enjoyable to watch her performance of "Just Around the Corner."

Lurch (Matthew Mark-Ockerbloom) was able to steal the show With even the smallest grunt! Their portrayal of the zombie-like character was spot on. They were easily a crowd favorite, and truly stood out during their solo in the finale. Kudos to Lurch! Their bass vocals were incredible! Truly a job done well by them.

The student-run orchestra was amazing. They played in a professional like manner and when one of the microphones cut out, they took notice almost immediately and lowered the sound of their playing. The orchestra executed these pieces with ease.

The ensemble on its own was extremely talented. There was not one person in the show who was not giving it their all, talent and energy wise. Every single person on the stage was invested and truly played their parts well.

Addams Family was portrayed in a professional like manner and it was definitely enjoyable and awe-inspiring.

Asia Blocker
Baldwin School
Submitted for publication to GPC Website Review 4

The tale of The Addams Family is the unpredictable result of death meeting life, life meeting love, and love meeting the creepy family who lives in Central Park.

Friends Select School Theater's splendid production of the former Broadway show, The Addams Family, illustrated the infamous and out of the ordinary family to perfection. In New York lives a very, well, a strange family named the Addams. Things start to become even more strange when their daughter, Wednesday claims to have fallen in love with a boy named Lucas from the chilling… Ohio. The musical captures the quest of the Addams ancestors helping Wednesday confess her secret marriage arrangements to her family. This electrifying story involves exposed secrets, multiple jeopardized marriages and many knee-slapping moments.

The comedy and outstanding energetic characterization guided this production to success. From the leads, all the way to the ensemble of Addams ancestors were actors who demanded the stage in full disclosure.

Everyone in this performance deserves appreciation for a job well done, but there are a few students whose performance stood out from the rest. One of whom is Daniel Nelson who portrayed the hilarious latin loving, Gomez Addams with an almost perfect accent and body gestures to match. Another notable performer was Mary Graham as the motherly Morticia Addams who delivered her lines, choreography and singing with ease.

And who could forget the charming Uncle Fester? Uncle Fester played by Avery Johnson theatrically narrated the musical while simultaneously playing a supporting actor with much character and energy. The Addams without comedy is like life without death. Grandma played by Margo Latty electrified the stage in every way possible. Judging from the amount of grey hair powder that flew from her hair each time, Latty's energy was well alive despite being so close to death for a Grandma!
At the beginning of the production, the volume of mics had some inconsistencies but improved as the show went on. Stage crew took on a huge challenge while moving very large set pieces and therefore sometimes struggled with efficient stage changes, but nonetheless, the job was done. What would a musical be without the vocalist? Matthew Mark- Ockerbloom as the half-dead Lurch, brought the audience to the edge of their seat as they beautifully sang in a remarkably low voice and immediately filled the entire audience with astounding applause.

The entire makeup of the show was definitely a sight to see. From the makeup to the costumes (done by Marley Boone) the entire show read The Addams Family. The costumes were a brilliant clash of Victorian fashion and 80s punk which worked so well together. The sets, which were student designed and made, were large and emphasized the classical ghoulish Addams Family.

Full disclosure! Friends Select School's Production of The Addams Family was a super funny and astonishing show with great performers and overall composition which are sure to make anyone fall in love with the living and dead.